


Cleaning up a Mess

by SugarCookieBear



Series: Mermaid Purses [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Eggpreg (Implied), Lance (Voltron) Angst, M/M, Merperson Keith (Voltron), Merperson Lance (Voltron), Mers Mate for Life, Not predators tho, Octopus Pidge | Katie Holt, Pidge is sick of your bullshit Keith, Worried Keith (Voltron), autistic author
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:01:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26294551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugarCookieBear/pseuds/SugarCookieBear
Summary: Unfortunately, nothing worked. The food he brought went uneaten. And when Keith tried to talk to him, Lance refused to respond. He was worried. Keith tried everything, switching his prey, bringing him gifts, everything.Keith didn’t like asking for help. Now, however, he felt like he had no choice. He needed help. His mate was going to starve, and he needed help. He needed someone...smart.He knew of only one creature that would fit the bill.Follows “Underwater Boogaloo”
Relationships: Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Mermaid Purses [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904443
Comments: 20
Kudos: 166





	Cleaning up a Mess

**Author's Note:**

> It wouldn’t let me post, so I had to re-copy and paste. I even made a picture to go along with each story! :D
> 
> Enjoy!

  
Keith was not good with people. He could probably count the number of friends on the number of his fingers. Normally though, he didn’t need to be. He was a solitary predator.

Makomorph mers provided for themselves, afterall. They didn’t have lifelong mates or heats. In fact, as far as Keith knew, the only time they ever stayed together was when the mother was pregnant, so the father could protect them, and get food for the vulnerable mother.

Of course after which the father would leave, and the mom would raise the hatched pups. He was pretty sure that was how it worked. He couldn’t confirm, as Keith had never met his mother or his father.

Instead, he’d been found and taken in by another type of predatory mer as a hatchling, his broken egg shell still nearby. An orcamorph mer that went by Shiro had found him. Being the kind soul that Shiro was (as far as a predator went anyway) the orcamorph decided to take him under his fin. From there, Shiro and his two mates, Curtis and Adam, had been the ones to teach him the basics.

He knew the bare minimum about his father’s species, their behavior and appearance. However, he also knew he had markings that ran from his cheeks down to neck, and glowing eyes which went unexplained under this theory. Makomorphs didn’t have markings according to Shiro. From this, he surmised, that his mom may have been a deep-sea galra mer. He’d heard they had similar markings after all.

Maybe galra were social. Probably not, seeing how his mom ditched him, but maybe. Honestly though, he wasn’t even sure if he was part galra. Besides, it wasn’t like he was about to wade into the depths to go seek one out for confirmation.

So, perhaps this was why, when Keith chose to stay with his accidental mate, he didn’t exactly know how to precede. At first, he tried to mimic what a makomorph father would do. He kept Lance in his den so he wouldn’t be hurt while he was slower and vulnerable. He brought him fish as well as plants that he remembered seeing prey eat. He also made sure to keep other predators away.

Heck, he even stopped hunting other mer. He didn’t want to accidentally hurt anyone Lance knew after all. Besides, it wasn’t like he needed to eat mer, after all, there were plenty of other big fish in the ocean.

Unfortunately, nothing worked. The food he brought went uneaten. And when Keith tried to talk to him, Lance refused to respond. He was worried. Keith tried everything, switching his prey, bringing him gifts, everything.

Keith didn’t like asking for help. Now, however, he felt like he had no choice. He needed help. His mate was going to starve, and he needed help. He needed someone...smart.

He knew of only one creature that would fit the bill. She claimed to be a cephalomorph mer, which according to her was absolutely definitely not a type of octopus (Her family were all octopi in disguise, Keith was sure of it.)

However, one shouldn’t be fooled by Pidge’s weird adornment—fastened crystals she attached to her eyes, or “glasses,” as she insisted upon calling them—or the creations lining her family’s den, seeming to serve no useful purpose except to look fancy. Make no mistake; Pidge knew her shit. Pidge, small as she was, was smart—genius level smart. And, convenient enough, he knew where she lived, which incidentally happened to be nearby.

This was the thought process that led to his current situation—being talked down to by an octopus despite her being three times smaller than Keith, in a cave that was too small for him to fit in comfortably.

“First of all, that is way more information then I needed to know.” The beaked girl interrupts.

Keith‘s frown deepened. He already regretted coming here.

“Second of all—and stop me if I’m wrong—you kidnapped a social creature as a pet, impregnated him, and now you’re worried because he’s not eating?”

“I bonded him! He came willin’ly.”

“It’s mating season for your prey, Keith. You were trying to eat him and threw him into heat instead. Being forced into heat is not exactly a case of clear cut consent.” Pidge said rolling her eyes. She crossed her arms.

“But-“ he tried to interject.

“You’re a fucking idiot.” She said getting louder as to talk over him. “Lance is a social creature. Social. As in—needs other people. You’re keeping him away from his friends and family, and you’re wondering why he’s depressed?”

“Depressed?” His brow furrowed, gills flaring just a bit in alarm.

“Yes Keith, he sounds depressed. Your pet is probably tired of being cooped up all the time. He needs to swim, stretch his tail, actually be out and about. Maybe you should take him hunting with you or something. I don’t know!”

“Mate.” He corrected annoyed, “and ‘sides, he could get hurt!”

They floated silently for a moment, him brooding and her glowering. His eyes lit up. “Then, why don’t y’all come visit, so he won’t be lonely?”

Pidge didn’t seem to like this idea. She let out an exasperated sigh, and fixed him with a glare that could wither a kelp forest. “Did you not listen to anything I just said!” She hissed. Her tentacles were curling tightly into themselves, a sure fire sign she was aggravated. Good. So was he.

“Fine, fine, dumb idea. But, that still don’t explain why he ain’t eatin’ Pidge!” Keith cried, frustrated. He ran a clawed hand through his hair.

“Are you serious? Oh my god. He’s trying to abort the pups you idiot. Without nutrients, the eggs will die off.” Pidge said this as if it was obvious. To her, it probably was. To Keith, this was the shock of the century.

“W-what? Why?!” He tried so hard to take care of Lance. He was even planning on helping with the pups, and staying afterwards.

“You’re a quiznacking idiot.” She said for the umpteenth time, using a tentacle to push up her glasses. “Look, you wanna know how to make him happy? Let him go back to his pod.”

Keith bites down his protest, and pauses, considering it. “So, if I take him to visit his family, he’ll stay?”

“No Keith, I said ‘let him go back’ not ‘take him back.’ Let him go—as in alone.”

“Absa-lutely not. He’s eggheavy, and they’re predators. He’s slower than normal! He needs protection.” He said, not hesitating to shoot the idea down.

“ You’re a predator Keith. You eat his kind. If my mate ate cephalomorphs on the reg, I wouldn’t exactly want to bring them home to my family either, now would I?” Pidge quipped.

“But-but, I ain’t even caught none recently!” He protests.

“Grammar, Keith. Haven’t caught what recently?” Pidge asks.

“Mer. I have’n caught no mer ‘since I mated ‘im. Didn’t wanna scare him.” He corrects, quickly.

“Alright, but have you told him that?” She asked. He paused.

“No . ” He says confused.

“Then how could he know that? He probably thinks you still kill mer.” She says with finality and a hint of smugness.

He slumps, the fins on the sides of his head drooping. He hates it when she’s right. Pidge smirks triumphantly. She knows she’s won. Pidge is always right when it counts, and he hates it.

“But what if he leaves fer good?” Keith protests weakly.

“You keep saying he’s your mate and not your pet. Yet, you’re acting like he’s a pet seahorse you’re worried will escape.” She says. He winces. “Just because you’re mates, doesn’t make him your property Keith. If he doesn’t come back then that’s his choice.”

“Okay,” he murmurs defeated. “Bye Pidge.” He worms around her, turning to leave.

She frowns watching him go. He senses a hint of-something when she blurts, “Alright fine.” She sounds angry.

He turns back, confused. She rolls her eyes, “You look like a slapped mudpuppy. C’mon you mako mako looking fuck, I’ll go with you.” She says.

What’s a mudpuppy? Keith didn’t know. Then again, he also wasn’t sure if he wanted to know either, knowing Pidge (he still shuddered every time he saw a sea slug.)

“Gotta do everything yourself, don’t ya Pidge.” She grumbled under her breath.

He decided now was not a good time to remind the octopus that he had better hearing than her.

He just nods instead, as he tries to process what just happened.

She squeezes past Keith with ease. “Now which way is your den?” She says turning back, her eyes narrowed.

He tells her, letting her lead the way despite her not having a clue as where she’s going.

He knew better then to mess with Pidge.


End file.
